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online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen
&
Brooksyne Weber
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Thursday,
January 26, 2023
Oh,
to grace how
great a debtor
daily I'm
constrained to
be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wan-d'ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wan-d'ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.
"A
Vital Warning
For All"
Message
summary: We
ignore
warnings to
our own peril,
whether it be
the many
modern
warnings to
keep us safer
or the ancient
warnings in
Holy
Scripture.
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12).
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God" (Hebrews 3:12).
Twenty-two
years ago next
month I
completed
nearly eight
years of
service as the
pastor of a
church in
Taunton,
Massachusetts.
In February
2001 we moved
to Lancaster
County where
we have lived
ever since.
In
one of the
final sermons
I preached in
that church
before our
move I used a
rather unusual
method of
reinforcing my
message. On
Sunday evening
I
slowly walked
pew by pew throughout
the sanctuary
to each
individual and
with all the
solemnity I
could muster
placed a hand
on their
shoulder. I
looked him or
her in the eye
and slowly
with great
intensity
quoted the
daily verse,
which was the
text for my
sermon that
evening. "See
to it,
brothers, that
none of you
has a sinful,
unbelieving
heart that
turns away
from the
living God."
As I recall I
replaced
"brothers"
with their
name.About
five years
after leaving
the New
England church
where I issued
the challenge
we were back
for a visit
and spoke to a
young man who
had been in
the service.
He had
recently
recommitted
his life to
the living
God. He told
Brooksyne that
he especially
remembered the
sermon I
preached when
I repeated the
verse to each
individual and
God used that
experience to
help him
return to his
spiritual
roots. Of
course God
used other
believers and
Scriptural
promptings to
bring him back
into right
relationship
with the
Savior as
well.
"See
to it,
brothers, that
none of you
has a sinful,
unbelieving
heart that
turns away
from the
living God"
(Hebrews
3:12).
It's
a truth that
is so
straightforward
it requires
little
exposition, a
vital warning.
Children can
understand it
and so can
senior
adults.
It speaks to
believers
today just as
it surely did
to the
original
readers of
Hebrews.
It's a good
verse to
regularly
preach to
ourselves!
In
the beginning
of Hebrews 3
the writer
draws a
parallel from
the
Israelites'
experience in
the desert to
the experience
of Christians
and their
proneness to
sin. He
recognized the
ancient texts
as being from
the Holy
Spirit, "As
the Holy
Spirit says"
(Hebrews 3:7)
before quoting
Psalm 95:7-11.
What a
powerful
recognition of
the divine
inspiration of
Scripture!
It doesn't matter where you live, it doesn't matter how long you've walked with God, and it doesn't matter the kind of family you were brought up in. We all know our heart's propensity to behave in a sinful manner, and when sin goes unchecked for a period of time; it turns our hearts away from God. In 1758 Robert Robinson wrote the hymn, "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing" which include these heartfelt, very candid words, "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love".
Too many times we "dabble in Egypt" - an expression used for those who are tempted to return to the ways of the world. It's derived from the book of Exodus when the Israelites, who were freed from slavery in Egypt, wanted to return after the going got tough during their journey to the Promised Land. They missed the "good" food but forgot the heavy oppression.
Because
sin and
righteousness
do not
peacefully
co-exist, we
will either
turn away from
the living God
or turn away
from the
destructive
sin. We all
know people
who have
turned away
from the
Truth, but on
the other
hand, we’ve
also seen some
of those
people repent
of their sins
and return to
the living
God. Our human
nature hasn't
changed a bit
in 2000 years,
in that, it is
prone to
wandering into
dangerous
waters where
it can easily
be pulled
under by the
deadly
currents of
sin and
unbelief.
Warnings like the daily text are good for us. Let me share our verse one final time with each reader. I can't do so individually as I did 22 years ago. I am not able to place my hand on your shoulder and I can't look you directly in the eye and yet I am solemnly quoting this verse even as I conclude this message with a Biblical charge and warning. Receive it and I encourage you to memorize it. "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God." This is a vital warning for all.
It doesn't matter where you live, it doesn't matter how long you've walked with God, and it doesn't matter the kind of family you were brought up in. We all know our heart's propensity to behave in a sinful manner, and when sin goes unchecked for a period of time; it turns our hearts away from God. In 1758 Robert Robinson wrote the hymn, "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing" which include these heartfelt, very candid words, "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love".
Too many times we "dabble in Egypt" - an expression used for those who are tempted to return to the ways of the world. It's derived from the book of Exodus when the Israelites, who were freed from slavery in Egypt, wanted to return after the going got tough during their journey to the Promised Land. They missed the "good" food but forgot the heavy oppression.
Because
sin and
righteousness
do not
peacefully
co-exist, we
will either
turn away from
the living God
or turn away
from the
destructive
sin. We all
know people
who have
turned away
from the
Truth, but on
the other
hand, we’ve
also seen some
of those
people repent
of their sins
and return to
the living
God. Our human
nature hasn't
changed a bit
in 2000 years,
in that, it is
prone to
wandering into
dangerous
waters where
it can easily
be pulled
under by the
deadly
currents of
sin and
unbelief.Warnings like the daily text are good for us. Let me share our verse one final time with each reader. I can't do so individually as I did 22 years ago. I am not able to place my hand on your shoulder and I can't look you directly in the eye and yet I am solemnly quoting this verse even as I conclude this message with a Biblical charge and warning. Receive it and I encourage you to memorize it. "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God." This is a vital warning for all.
Stephen
and Brooksyne
Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
as we walk by
faith and not
by sight,
grant us grace
that none of
us will have a
sinful,
unbelieving
heart that
turns away
from You, the
living God.
Rather may we
hate what is
evil and cling
to what is
good. May we
be devoted to
one another in
brotherly love
and honor one
another above
ourselves. May
we never be
lacking in
zeal, but keep
our spiritual
fervor,
serving the
Lord, being
joyful in
hope, patient
in affliction,
and faithful
in prayer. In
Jesus Name.
Amen.
Prayer adapted
from Romans
12:9-13.
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radioPermissions: Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not protect or restrict it. We do request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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